Equipment for making castings



Aug. 21, 1934. F. `1'. sPlKe-.RMAN E1' Al. L970779 EQUIPMENT-Fon MAKING cAsTINGs Filed Ja n. 15. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l `1Wy E Ell E, FWN EN L-- 4Q @ll Effi N C.) N @W :y f r 1E/ @y E .l L: w L 'I QQSSEP LBLqa-@Ew E #ESM 8 EES@ QQ@ @www Aug. 21, 1934.7 r. 'l'.sPlKERMAN ErAL 1,970,779

EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING CASTINGS Filed Jan. 1s, 1931y 2 Smm-sheet, 2

www@ f LJLJUQQQLJ LQ@ imi@ :2 i2; SCI, mii dEQEPYdEI l @Pi im #Egg-lgpc@ E="" u; I MI @[EPWE :51m-l-) japiql' mgm i QV Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNITED s'rATlzs PATENT OFFICE s EQUIPMENT FOR MAKINGCASTINGS Frank T. Spikerman, Akron,

and Earl F. Oyster,

Shaker Heights, hio, assignors to The Osborn Manufacturing Company,

corporation of 0h10 Cleveland, Ohio, a

The present invention relates to a method of making castings and to apparatus for applying that method, and aims particularly to provide a method and apparatus whereby a variety of sizes and styles of castings can be turned` out by an application of the continuous process principle, but without the confusion and likelihood of mistakes that have hitherto accompanied continuous processes in foundries.

This application is filed as'a continuation in part of application Serial No. 335,033 for Methods of and equipment for handling moulds, filed January 25, 1929.

It will be appreciated by foundrymen that '15 castings of diierent sizes and styles require not merely different molds but also diierent equipment in nearly every detail, such as jackets, bottom boards, weights, clamps and so on,

and also that even when using the same metal for all, the dierent castings must be poured dierently, some fast, others slowly.

In previously known continuous processes the practice has been to run an endless conveyor, usually a series of platforms, in a closed cir- 5 cuit past successive stations, the usual arrangement being a molding station, a pouring station, an extra length of run for cooling, and

a shakeout station, the molds of course being emptied at the shakeout station and the various articles of equipment put back on the conveyor for return to the molders.

Such a process is satisfactory so long as only one size and form of casting is in production, but falls down when a variety of types of castings have to be made. The reason for this is that no matter how many men and machines may be working at each station, there is no confusion with a single sort of casting. For instance, at the shakeout station the jackets and 40 boards are put back on the conveyor just as they come, and any jacket or any board is as good as another to the molders. No assorting is necessary. Similarly, at the pouring station if the clamps and weights get mixed no harm is done. All are the same size and equalvly useful so there is no delay of the work to nd the proper size piece of equipment. The same manner of. pouring is good for all molds coming to the station.

All this ceases to be so simple when varied production is being turned out. The varieties of work are put on the conveyor in no particuvlar order, the equipments get mixed at the shakeout station and each molder has to be alert to pick out his proper size of each article at the molding station. This naturally distracts his -attention from mold'making, retards the work and increases the chance of mistakes. At the pouring station the helper who places clamps on the jackets and weights on the molds has to watch to get theright ones for each mold, and the pouring crew has to keep in mind to notice the character of each mold to pour it properly. The result is that the full advantages of a continuous system are not realized on 'varied work.

Our process and apparatus are intended especially to overcome these disadvantages, and our particular method of doing so consists of keeping the varieties of work and equipment always separated but nevertheless advancing all together through the steps ofthe foundry process.

A preferred method of applying the principles of our invention and apparatus for working the-method are exemplified in the following specification with accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagram of the method in the abstract, not related to any denite apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan view of apparatus including only one conveyor; and Fig. 3 is a corre-- spending view showing a plurality of conveyors. Figs. 2 and 3 are iny somewhat diagrammatic style.

Referring now to Fig. 1, suppose our process is to be applied to the continuous and simultaneous production of several sorts of castings, (ve in 353' this illustration) each sort having its own characteristic size and shape. The making of each sort comprises the same steps (four in this illustration) in the same sequence. Let the steps of the process be designated as A, B, C, D, in clockwise sequence, each performed at its designated station, and let the varieties of work be designated as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and their respective paths P1, P2, P3, P4, P5. Obviously if the stations could be radially arranged across the paths as shown and the work could be placed on a radial arm, and the arm moved through 360, no variety of work would mix in any way with any other either in transit or at any station but the process would nevertheless be continuous and simultaneous. The character in these essentials would not be affected whether the movement of the arm were continuous or intermittent.

It is apparent that Fig. 1 does not represent a practical form of apparatus. Fig. 2 shows an adaptation of the same principles t0 actual conditions, made for carrying five types of work through foijr steps and using the same system of reference characters as in Fig. 1.

A represents the molding station, B the pouring 110 1rol station, C the cooling station, and D the shakeout station. A continuous conveyor E, preferably a train of flat platform cars on a closed track, serves all stations. The number of cars in the conveyor train is a multiple of five, but no particular marking or other means of distinguishing either one series of cars from the next, or the individual cars in each series of ve, is necessary, for the reason that the movements of the conveyor are on the step-by-step order, each step brings the same car to the same corresponding position at every station.

The stations are each subdivided into sections, all in the same order, each subdivision being the length of a conveyor car, making each station :tive cars long. In this embodiment of our invention the distance between stations must be either zero, or an integral multiple of five car lengths, such as five, ten, or so on.

In the example in Fig. 2, the molding machines are shown arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the conveyor, as shown at A5, A4, A3, A2 and A', each pair being intended to make molds for one type of work, as indicated by the reference character. The pouring station B is similarly s ectioned as at B5, B4, B3, B2 and B' according to the classes of work. Since no work is to be done at the cooling station no subdivisions are necessary. This station is of double length, to give sufficient time for the castings to solidify before reaching the shakeout station D, which is also divided into sections D5, D4, D3, D2, D.

It will be apparent that this arrangement may be applied either to one or to a plurality of conveyors. In large foundries it may be convenient to arrange a plurality of conveyors in such manner that, at least at certain stations, more than one conveyor -can be served at the same station. For example, in Fig. 3 two conveyors are shown, each one 4having its stations A, B, cooling space C and shakeout station D, but the single shakeout station serves both conveyors, thus using only one set of sand conditioning and returning mechanism for two conveyors.

In the operation of the apparatus, particularly that illustrated in Fig.' 2, the conveyor moves in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow, always moving the length of ve platforms and then stopping for a given length of time, or slow- .ing to a very reduced pace. In this manner the same platform is always spotted or indexed opposite the appropriate subdivision of whatever station it happens to be at, so that the workmen at that station will perform only the operations appropriate to, and use only the materials and tools appropriate to the particular type or size of casting which is being done on that subdivision at that time.

Although the operation of the device is believed to be reasonably apparent from the foregoing, the following illustration will be given: Suppose, by way of example, that ve distinct sorts of castings are being made, and suppose for convenience that a large size is being made at subdivision 1 and a small size at subdivision 2. These two subdivisions only will be followed through as illustrative anything out, since there is nothing on platform 1 except whatis suited to their size of work. The same condition of course holds for platform 2 and the other platforms. The workers at station A1 take oif the equipments they need, make Ithe molds, and then reload the platform with the completed molds, those at A2 doing the same, no confusion existing and no sorting out being necessary. The conveyor now moves five platform lengths, bringing another set of empty equipments, appropriately sorted on the different platforms, to the molders at station A.

The next move brings the completed molds to the pouring station B. At this station the weights and clamps are kept in piles, those for each type of work being in the proper subdivision space. Here the weights and clamps are put on, and the pouring is done. Since the length of the pauseis governed by mold making time, the pourers helpers have time to take off the weights and clamps before the conveyor moves away. No sorting of equipment has tobe done beyond putting the ar- .ticles in the pile opposite the platform on which they were used. It is well understood that different weights have to be used for different size castings, and also that different sizes and varieties of castings require somewhat different pouring,

such as fast or slow, for the best results. Since 'the crew of each subdivision of each pouring station has to consider only one type of casting and has only' its appropriate size of weights and other materials available, no mistakes arel made. On the 'other hand, having all the pouring operations concentrated at one station simplifies the question of supply of hot metal, just as having all the molding operations concentrated at one station makes the supply of sand much simpler. Foundry floor space is also thus conserved. After the pouring, the conveyor moves forward another ve platform distance, bringing a new set of platforms appropriately lled ready for the molders at A and for the pourers at B. To allow cooling time ten platform distances are allowed between B and D so that the position indicated on Fig. 2 by C corresponds to the station C indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, but this is an idle station, having no equipment and no workers, and its sole function is the allowance of extra time.

From station C the platforms move to station D where the molds are taken off and shaken out, and the equipment put back on its proper platform.l The subdivisional arrangement is here effective to cause what amounts to an automatic separation of the various kinds of castings into unmixed piles and to insure that each platform is provided only with implements, such as molds, bands and weights, of size appropriate to its operation. Also any accumulation of such imple-- ments either at this or any other station may be kept in a separate pile opposite the appropriate index position. It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided a method of foundry operation and a mechanism for carrying out that method, capable of a number of modifications in detail, and functioning to give all the advantages of a continuous system but` eliminating all confusion. The method is capable of application by various other mechanisms, and the mechanisms shown are capable of various modifications all within the scope of the appended claims.

1. Foundry apparatus comprising in combina.- tion a closed path conveyor comprising sections of equal length each subdivided in the same order,

,a molding station, a pouring station and a shakeout station, each alongside said conveyor, `eachat a time.

tion a closed path conveyor comprising sectionsequal in length to a conveyor section and lcorre-- spondingly subdivided, and means for moving said conveyor by successive advances a section length 2. Foundry apparatus comprising in combinao! equal length each subdivided in the same or- 

